


Little Cat in a Big World

by LyriaFrost



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Gen, Hybrid AU, Some mentions of violence, guns and stuff, street!Michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 11:59:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1509680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaFrost/pseuds/LyriaFrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New Jersey is a tough place, at least the New Jersey that Michael knows.  Especially if you're a hybrid.  It gets a little tougher when a random bird falls from the sky while you're in the middle of a tough situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Cat in a Big World

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. I am so obsessed with this AU. It has officially taken over my life.

New Jersey is a tough place, at least the New Jersey that Michael knows. Especially if you're a hybrid. While he happens to be. Which makes his life a whole lot more difficult (as if he really needed that). But growing up on the streets gave Michael the tools he needed to survive in that tough world. The freak hybrid son of two normal parents, abandoned on the street as a young child, taken in by a gang and raised in the back of alleys of New Jersey. 

There is a constant war in Michael's world, one that pits parents against children, sibling against sibling, splits families in half. All that matters is whether or not you are born with animal features fused with your DNA. It impossible for Michael to keep track of the number of friends he's lost, the kids he's initiated into the gang and then watched go out to the battlefield and end up dead in a back-alley somewhere, from a bullet to the head or a an overdose from the needle stuck in their arm. Because that's the only way off these streets. Once you get the mark of a gang on you, the only way you're leaving is by dying. 

At least, that's what the last countless days, weeks, months, years have taught Michael. Why bother thinking of something better? Happy endings, miraculous occurrences only happen in fairy tales and stories whispered in the darkness of prison cells at night. Though, as he stands in this particular dark alley, Michael has the fleeting thought that he's never heard a story that starts with a bird-human falling from the sky. 

"What the fuck, idiot?" The person, it was now apparent that it was a guy, was squawking and rolling around, trying to get his wings untangled from around his body. Michael heard footsteps around the corner of the alley behind him and swore violently as he grabbed the man, dragging him off the ground and pressing him against the wall just as three men came around the corner. 

"Well, well, well... you almost lost us, Jones. Too bad for you, you weren't quite able to shake us off." Michael took a casual step forward, placing himself more in front of the bird-man. 

"If it isn't my good friend Shades. Really thought I lost you guys back there, that little trick from the roof usually drops you idiots like flies." The man in the middle of the group stepped forward, scowling as he moved into the glow of the one little light that was illuminating the alleyway. 

"You've got an awfully smart mouth for a cat-boy who's trapped in an alley with three guns pointing at him." 

"You know me, a smart guy through and through." One of the thugs stepped forward. 

"Animals should be seen and not heard, freak." Michael stiffened slightly, but failed to notice the boy behind him moving up to stand just next to him. 

"Doesn't explain why you're talking then. Seriously, has no one ever told you that you look like a gorilla?" A growl was rising from the cat-hybrid as he shoved the man backwards. 

"Shut up and stay back there, birdbrain, unless you want a bullet through your head." 

"Got a little friend there, Jones?" 

"Maybe, Shades. But I think I'm more interested in your friends right now." Michael prayed that the guy behind him would just listen and shut up so he could talk them out of this mess without a bullet ending up in one of them. Shades laughed across the alleyway. 

"These guys? Just thugs. Good for what I tell them to do and nothing else. But they are good at what they do. In our gang, these two are known as the Exterminators. Want to know why?" Michael felt his heart sink, he had definitely heard of these two. They were something of a legend on the street, never missing their mark. But he tamped down those feelings, pasting a smug smirk on his face and hoping it was convincing. 

"Hmmm never heard of them, you'll have to explain it to me." There was a flash of irritation in Shades' expression. 

"Well, my dear little kitty cat, we call them that because they are quite good at exterminating little vermin like you." The two thugs grinned and raised their guns, cocking them and pointing them at the two boys at the end of the alley. Michael swore and took a step back towards the bird-man, knowing that he had no way to delay this anymore, and no way to get them out of the situation. With a wall at his back, three story buildings on either side, and two guns pointed at him from the front, there was no where to go. Michael spun around, grabbing at the bird behind him. 

"Can you fly?" 

"I- kinda, I can't really steer so well with all the buildings but-" 

"Idiot... can you fly, yes or no?" 

"Um... yes..." 

"Good, when you give you the signal, you're gonna have to fly us up to the top of these buildings, alright? Nothing fancy, just up." 

"O- okay, I can do that." Michael isn't completely convinced that this man can handle that, but its the only chance they have at getting out of this situation. And really, is getting shot while on the ground any worse than getting shot in the air? 

"Any last words, Jones?" Michael turns around, still all confident and cocky smirks. 

"Maybe just a few. Tell your boss thanks, I couldn't have distracted the cops without him back at the warehouse." With that, Michael gave a wave, stepping back and grabbing onto the other man. With a few flaps of the large, powerful wings, they were already halfway up the buildings before the others could figure out what had happened. 

Bullets flew past them as the thugs recovered their aim, and Shades was screaming from beneath them, but the wings kept flapping and they kept going higher. Michael wrapped his tail around the leg of the other man, clinging to him tightly as they finally cleared the top of the buildings. They tumbled to a heap on the roof, Michael rolling over and off the other hybrid. They laid there for a moment before the cat climbed up again, grabbing the other by the hand and pulling him up as well. 

"C'mon, it's not safe to stay here yet, those fuckers will be up here soon." 

"Where are we going?" 

"Just come, trust me, I know my way around this city." He pulled on his hand again, directing them towards the edge of the roof. "You can fly, so this won't be a problem for you, but get to that building over there." 

"What about you?" 

"Cats can jump further than the average human, dumbass. Plus, we always land on our feet." Michael smirked and then pushed the man towards the edge, laughing at the squawk as he threw out his wings to catch himself from falling. After backing up a few steps to get a running start, Michael leapt to the other side, hearing the door to the roof bang open behind him. 

"They're here!" 

"I know, dumbass, just keep running and jumping, alright? Roof to roof, that's the easiest way for a hybrid to lose a human. Keep up." With that, Michael was off again, leaping from roof to roof with graceful bounds. He could hear the flapping of wings behind him, but he never looked back to make sure the bird was still with him. Finally they jumped off the edge of a building, landing on the ground not far below. 

"Did we go far enough?" 

"Yeah, for all the guns and bluster, they aren't fast or smart enough to chase us all the way here." Michael leaned against a nearby dumpster, catching his breath after all the running, and taking the opportunity to study his companion. The other man appeared to be about the same age as himself, with dirty blonde hair and vivid green eyes. He had huge wings, with feathers in many shades of brown and black. He had long tails curling behind him, in beautiful patterns. Every feather on his body was ruffled, even the ones that were interspersed with the hair on his head, to the other's obvious chagrin. 

"Oh, bollocks, I just had Ryan fix all my feathers the nice way too. This is going to take bloody hours to sort out again." He finally gave up on fixing his feathers, turning to give Michael an appraising look before his hand shot out. "I suppose introductions are in order, my name is Gavin." 

"Why would I want to give you my name, fucker?" Gavin drew his hand back but just shrugged off the insult. 

"Dunno, I like to know the name of random cute cats that save my life in creepy alleyways. Not that it matters that much, I heard that guy say your name, Michael. Just proper to ask anyway." Michael found himself inexplicably blushing when Gavin called him cute. 

"Yeah, well it's not like it matters cause I won't be seeing anymore of your stupid birdbrain around anyway." The curly-haired man turned and started to walk away, halted by a hand on his wrist. It was out of pure instinct that he grabbed that wrist, twisting it hard enough to garner a cry of pain from Gavin. "Don't fucking touch me." 

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry... but let me buy you a bloody dinner or something then, as thank you." Michael almost turned him down, but it wasn't often that he got offered free food (that was fresh anyway). That and, though he would never admit it even to himself, there was something about the other hybrid that was stupidly cute and Michael found himself intrigued and more than a little unwilling to just walk away so easily. 

"Fine. But we're going somewhere that serves good fish." Gavin grinned from ear to ear. 

"Does the kitty want some fishies?" Michael lashed out but stopped himself at the last minute. 

"Call me a fucking kitty again and I won't stop next time, asshole." Gavin just laughed. 

"Well, fish sounds bloody top, and we went to this restaurant last night that apparently had some really good fish, so I'll just take you there since I'm not from around here and don't know anywhere better." The two men made their way out of the alleyway, Michael wondering about why he felt so strangely relaxed around this strange person. There was only one other person he had ever felt that way around before, but he was- no, best not to go there. 

"Hey, Michael?" 

"Yeah, Gavin?" 

"Can you tell me how to get back to Eighth Street? I have no bloody idea where we are."

**Author's Note:**

> I might write more than this, but any comments/criticisms/ideas would be much appreciated!


End file.
